Spanish authorities reported a new wave of migrant crossings into Ceuta early Thursday, as hundreds of people attempted to swim from neighboring Morocco to the Spanish enclave in North Africa.
According to police sources, more than 200 Moroccan and Algerian migrants, most of them young men, entered the sea from the Moroccan coast near Castillejos in an effort to reach Ceuta. The Civil Guard described the latest incident as another night of “intense migratory pressure.”
Authorities also recovered a body from the waters off the coast of Ceuta. Officials have not released the person’s identity or the circumstances surrounding the death.
The developments came as JUPOL, Spain’s largest National Police union, accused Morocco of easing restrictions on departures toward Ceuta and urged the Spanish government to strengthen border security and reinforce police resources. The union claimed Morocco was using migration as a form of political pressure, an allegation that has not been independently verified.
Spanish authorities have not announced any changes to border policy, and Moroccan officials have not publicly responded to the accusations.
